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PIPA Recommended Practice BL11

BL11 "Effectively Communicate Pipeline Risk and Risk Management Information"

Practice Statement Transmission pipeline operators should identify barriers to effectively communicating with stakeholders and use communication techniques designed to overcome those barriers and effectively engage stakeholders to communicate with them regarding pipeline risks and how the operator manages such risks.

Audience(s): Transmission Pipeline Operator

Practice Description

For communication to be effective, it must be a two-way dialogue. However, personal experiences affect the way messages are received. This and other considerations make it essential that the transmission pipeline operator understands that there may be barriers to effective communication and finds ways to overcome those barriers to better communicate with stakeholders.

Appendix F to this report looks at communications barriers from the perspective of a transmission pipeline company communicating with key stakeholder audiences, and provides some suggested considerations and tools to potentially address those barriers. Some, all, or none of the barriers identified in Appendix F may be present in any actual situation.

Identification of barriers to effective communication is also inherent to the PIPA seven-step communication model (see Recommended Practice BL10). Communication regarding pipeline risk and risk management should follow the PIPA seven-step model. (See Appendix E)

The transmission pipeline operator should openly communicate with stakeholders regarding land use and development near pipelines. Regular meetings with key local officials involved in land use planning and development and with local developers and developer organizations should be held to provide an easy flow of information to and from these key stakeholders.